Occupational exposure to inorganic lead and its compounds in Romania

Abstract

Lead and its compounds are hazardous chemical agents; some lead compounds, are classified as carcinogens in humans. In Romania, the occupational exposure to inorganic lead and its compounds occurs in many sectors: production of lead, manufacture of batteries, manufacture of thermal ceramic products (terracotta), production of electric and electronic components, manufacture of articles of metal wire, production of dyes and additives for plastics, recovery of lead from waste batteries, waste collection and treatment of electrical and electronic equipment, etc. The binding occupational limit value for inorganic lead compounds established under the national regulations is 0.15 mg/m3 in the air (measured in relation to a reference period of eight hours, time-weighted average, TWA). The binding biological limit value is 70 μg Pb/100 ml blood. We have summarized lead occupational exposure data collected from the regional public health authorities in Romania, for the period 2011-2019. The concentrations of lead recorded in the workplaces air varied between “not detected” and 0.22 mg/m3. The lead concentrations in the blood had high values (over the alert value of 40 μg/100 ml blood) in several activities (production of lead, recovery-recycling of lead from waste batteries, manufacture of batteries, and manufacture of articles of metal wire) leading to the need of continuous surveillance of health status for the exposed workers.